fuelstar

[Punter]

A mate of mine just sent me an email telling me about this, and saying they told him it would reduce fuel consumption by 12% to 15%.

Anyone every seen/heard/used one of these things? Sounds like complete bollocks to me.

The also said

The product should improve fuel consumption by 12 - 15% in this vehicle and provide smoother running. It will also enable the turbos to run to boost which they cannot otherwise do on the petrol available in NZ (bearing in mind that they are designed to take 100 octane petrol).

[ollieboy]

I read an article on these a year ago. iirc It said they didn't save fuel at all unless at correct temperature which is really hot and they sort of worked but almost impossible to get them that temperature in a normal engine.

In their conclusion they said it was a waste of money.

I will try and find the original article and post it up.

[Leon]

[sergei]

Can I connect a few canisters in series to add up gains?
BS

I went trough the site and could not find a hint what is behind the "canister".

Canister of "dylithium cristals"???

[Ae92typeX]

god...no offence, but when people bring up new old news from sooo many years ago, I start to feel real old...
Had one in a mates car a while back. didnt notice any difference either way. But then again, I dont look for placebo effects.

popular mechanics had a good article a while back on fuel saving devices.

[ollieboy]

I found the an article with the results of the article I actually read. It was not temperature it was vibration that it ran off and there was inadequate vibration in a normal engine to do anything.

Its on page six of here http://www.fuelstar.com/data/Desktop%20Study%20Fuelstar%2015-12-01.pdf

[RunningRich]

Fuel savings devices:

Keep you car tuned.
Lift your right foot.

[Stealer Of Souls]

I went trough the site and could not find a hint what is behind the "canister".

Funny how I read the site and it said that the canister is filled with pellets with a tin basis...

[BlakJak]

If its what I think it is, it was in the Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/print. ... 027AF1025D

[ollieboy]

Maybe its one of those things that people want to see results cause they don't want to look the fool for spending so much money on the thing and drive sensibly and reduce their fuel bill that way.

[BlakJak]

... or maybe its the difference between a smaller difference and a larger one.

We do need to look at fuel efficiency as a major issue going forward. Theres no single-fix - there'll be lots of contributors.

[Chickenman]

How about making one yourself with a few sinkers in it?

[sergei]

But tin does not dissolve in petrol!
And tin is not a catalyst. If they had platinum/silver/other common catalyst, still would not work as combustion occures in combustion chamber, and I can't see petrol washing away the metal in quantities enough to catalyst the combustion process. And what about "heavy metal" polution?

[BlakJak]

The difference is that as it passes through the canister, says Cornelius, minuscule particles of metallic tin are released into the fuel supply and carried through to the engine's combustion chambers, where they act as a catalyst in the combustion process.

The tin changes the combustion characteristics of the fuel, giving a more complete and more prolonged fuel burn, resulting in improved engine efficiency and performance.

Theyre not saying it dissolves, theyre saying that small particles are carried with the fuel.

As for the pollution aspect - well, getting rid of fossil fuels entirely will help that, wont it... !

[Stealer Of Souls]

There are a number of metals that scientists have been investigating as an alternative use to fuels.
Apparently if you can get the particles small enough they "burn" and can replace petrol as the combustible material.
My guess is that this relies on a similar principle. Buy heating the particles the outer coating is taken off and the tin particles "burn". because they burn for longer than the petrol they can continue the combustion process...

The term Catalyst, is probably a little misleading realy.

If I can find the article on "Iron as a fuel" I'll post it. It's an interesting read.

[Dragger_Dan]

I'd love to see somebody with a dyno and a bit of patience to try this out. Put the car on a dyno, put a set amount of load on it, run it for a set number of ks, then drain all the fuel and accurately measure what is left. Then put the fuelstar in and do exactally the same. But nobody who develops these products ever seems to be able to back up their claims scientifically, only anecdotially.

[ollieboy]

I'd love to see somebody with a dyno and a bit of patience to try this out. Put the car on a dyno, put a set amount of load on it, run it for a set number of ks, then drain all the fuel and accurately measure what is left. Then put the fuelstar in and do exactally the same. But nobody who develops these products ever seems to be able to back up their claims scientifically, only anecdotially.

But its backed up by James Sprott an unknown forensic scientist surely this constitutes a scientific claim.

[TWSTD]

Theres a blurb on this in yesterdays herald motoring section. The claims they are making are pretty substantial, apparently backed by test results. The concept is very simple and should indeed make some difference - whether that difference is too small to notice or not is another question. This product has been around for YEARS - so either fuelstar are the best long term scammers ive ever heard of or they have a product (that at least in some applications - particularly overseas) actually does something!

[sergei]

The tin cones are at the entry end of the Fuelstar canister after a swirl plate. The cones are arranged loose with abrasive perforated separator plates between the rows. The numbers of cones in each model are matched to the size of the engine Fuelstar is to be fitted to, and the amount of fuel needed to be treated. At the exit end the treated fuel passes by powerful magnets, which assist in fracturing fuel hydrocarbon clusters through magnetic resonance (see the fuelmax page for more information). The Fuelstar process is activated by vibration which produces a rubbing action between the tin alloy cones and the seperator plates which releases very fine particles of tin (0.2 - 0.5 of a micron) into the fuel. These particles repel each other and the movement keeps them in colloidal suspension in the fuel. The tin alloy produces a catalytic reaction on the fuel during combustion at which time it is converted to a tin oxide. This reaction results in a more complete and cleaner combustion. The tin oxide formed helps clear carbon build up and coats the exhaust valve mating surfaces to alleviate valve seat recession.

I can't see this working:

At the exit end the treated fuel passes by powerful magnets, which assist in fracturing fuel hydrocarbon clusters through magnetic resonance

What this has to do with carbon build up?

The tin oxide formed helps clear carbon build up

What about oxygen sensors and catalytic convertors if it does:

coats the exhaust valve mating surfaces to alleviate valve seat recession

And judging on this

The Fuelstar process is activated by vibration which produces a rubbing action between the tin alloy cones and the seperator plates which releases very fine particles of tin (0.2 - 0.5 of a micron) into the fuel

I don't think it would release the "tin" in large enough amount or controlable manner to make a difference (don't forget the canister is soft drink can size, and lasts up to 500000kms).

[Stealer Of Souls]

http://www.mng.org.uk/green_house/renew ... rticle.htm

Have a look at that. It's an interesting article about using Iron as a fuel in internal combustion engines...
Sceptic? Read it and use you head...